In elite sport, a fraction of a second can mean the difference between winning and losing. Southampton engineers bring together science and sports to optimise the performance of British athletes.
Researchers at the Performance Sports Engineering Laboratory (PSEL) and the Wolfson Unit at the University have made a unique contribution to the success of elite sport in the UK, working with the English Institute of Sport (formerly UK Sport) to provide technical support for elite athletes.
“We provide engineering insight and solutions to enable coaches to assess the performance of their athletes and select better techniques and equipment,” says Professor Stephen Turnock, Director of the PSEL. Through this work, the team has achieved an international reputation for applying innovative engineering design and aerodynamics performance sports.
The University has long history for supporting elite British athletes in both winter and summer sports. Their expertise helped elite swimmers and cyclists from Britain to achieve success at London 2012, and skeleton athletes Amy Williams and Lizzy Yarnold win their gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
Related articles:
Performance Sport REF Impact case study.
Performance Sport Engineering Laboratory.
BA Business Life magazine – Interview with Steve Turnock about our research.